Adolfo Miller: Inocente o Culpable? (Innocent or Guilty)

During the first marking period, Ms. De Los Santos’ Spanish Native Language Arts class read “Adolfo Miller”, an intriguing short story that forces the reader to truly think. It allows the reader to come up with his or her own ending for the story. The story is about a man named Adolfo Miller who gains the respect and trust of another family who takes care of him for years, only to steal from them in the end…or did he?

Students were asked to write an essay in which they analyzed the story and determined for themselves whether or not Adolfo Miller was guilty. After writing these essays, the class decided to act out Adolfo Miller’s trial. Each student in the class had a role in the trial by pretending to be characters from the story.

Students and teachers from other classes attended the trial, held in our own Truman High Court Room. Many of these students and teachers acted as members of the jury, because they had never read the book. They were able to listen and analyze the trial providing an unbiased verdict based solely on what they heard at the trial. The jury found Adolfo Miller innocent. The judge upheld this ruling but sentenced him to do service for the government for five years. See the class in action by viewing the photos in our gallery.